Creamy Tomato and Seafood Pasta with Squid

 from Carla Lalli Music

Creamy Tomato and Seafood Pasta
For the breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons extra–virgin olive oil
2 anchovy fillets
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup panko
1 cup parsley, tightly packed, coarsely chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Flaky salt

For the pasta and serving
3 tablespoons extra–virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 shallot, roughly chopped
2 anchovy fillets
Kosher salt; freshly ground pepper
1 ½ pounds Sungold tomatoes
4 basil sprigs (leaves attached)
1 pound squid bodies and tentacles
1 pound thick spaghetti 

½ teaspoon crushed red chile flakes

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat 4 tablespoons oil. Add anchovies and garlic. Season with black pepper and cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant and anchovies start to crumble, about a minute. Stir in the panko and cook, stirring frequently, until crumbs are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the parsley and lemon zest, and toss to combine. Taste breadcrumbs and adjust seasoning with flaky salt. Transfer crumbs to a small plate and let cool. (Reserve the zested lemon for seasoning the sauce later.)

Get ahead: Crumbs can be made up to 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Make the Pasta and Sauce 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil and butter over medium- to medium-high in a 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven (or other heavy pot with a lid). When the butter is foaming, add the shallot and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the barest color has formed on the garlic, about 3 minutes. Add anchovies, breaking them up with a wooden spoon. Cover pot and cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is deep golden in color and the garlic is tender enough to be smushed with a spoon, 4 to 5  minutes. 

Add tomatoes and basil sprigs to the pot, season with chile flakes, and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato skins start to split, about 4 minutes. Cover and cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until the tomatoes are about half their original volume and there is a copious amount of sauce in the pan, about 5  more minutes. 

Pluck out the basil springs. Transfer sauce to a blender jar (reserve the pot). Pulse for long intervals until the sauce is creamy and lightened and there are no longer any discernable pieces of tomato skins. Pour tomato sauce back into to the pot, then scoop about a cup of the pasta water into the blender jar and swirl it around to loosen any remaining sauce. Add that liquid to the sauce, taste, and adjust seasoning as needed; keep warm.. 

Cook pasta until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the time indicated on the package. When the pasta has about a minute to go, return the sauce to a bare simme, add the squid, and cook gently until the squid is barely cooked through, about 1 minute. It will cook a bit more in the next step.

Using tongs or a mesh spider, transfer the spaghetti to the sauce. Cook, stirring and tossing and adding additional pasta cooking liquid as needed, until the sauce generously and lavishly coats the pasta, about 2 minutes. Squeeze in the juice of the zested lemon. Serve the pasta topped with breadcrumbs.